Centre Stage with Alan Cookman
Which is just what Stoke Youth Musical Theatre Company's production of Les Miserables proved to be last November.
The decision to stage the show in the church known as Stoke Minster has been widely applauded, and the award-winning company can surely look forward to a week of sell-out performances.
I hear that three young veterans of Les Mis will be taking leading roles in Godspell – Ben Steele as Jesus, Matt Bateman as Judas and Elliot Clay as John The Baptist.
They will lead a cast of 30, which will include Disciples played by both boys and girls, and the Les Mis production team of Ian Wilson (director) and Steve Williams (musical director) will be reunited for Godspell.
The cast will perform on a set that is being custom-built for the venue and a professional company will be handling lighting and sound.
Some prospective audience members got a sneak preview when members of the company appeared in Hanley's recent Piccadilly Circus festival performing Godspell numbers, Prepare Ye and Day By Day.
The latter is the hit song from the 1970 musical by Stephen Schwarz and John-Michael Tebelak, loosely based on the Gospel According to St Mathew, which opened off-Broadway in 1971 and is still performed worldwide in both the professional and amateur repertoires.
Stoke Youth Musical Theatre's production will run from November 20- 24. Tel 01782 659156.
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